Regarding Your Feedback on the Wireless Stereo Headset

Update: PS3 firmware 4.20 will add several new features designed to address the sidetone issues in the Wireless Stereo Headset. It will be available on 6/26/12 in North America, read more here.

Since PS3 system software update (v.4.10) released in February, we’ve heard from some of you about a feature change that was introduced to the official Wireless Stereo Headset. I wanted to take the time to let you know that we have listened to your feedback and will be modifying the performance as part of a future firmware update.

Let me provide the backstory. With the 4.10 update, we added a feature that enabled you to hear your own voice through the headset when playing multiplayer modes. This type of audio feedback, technically known as “sidetone,” was among the features requested by some of you (and some of the press) for multiplayer gameplay. Unfortunately the feature has had unintended effects in certain games, and, based on some of the feedback we’ve heard from the community, a solution to improve the performance is under development.

We don’t have a confirmed timing yet for when the update will be released, but we will report back here. For any Wireless Stereo Headset owners who have been affected by this feature change, thanks for your continued patience while we work on the improvements.

Comments

° Please enable html5 and flash player to the ps vita.
° Youtube Instagram and Skype app for the ps vita.
° Google Chrome web browser to the ps vita.
° Cross chat platform between ps vita and ps3 users.
° Organize the content of the PSN and add a sort list on the download list by year,month,genre.
° Show to the ps3 users when the ps vita users are conected and enable the present data.
° Full integration of the PS Plus features for vita users enable cloud service.
° Improve the Facebook app of the ps vita.
° Release an avatar pack when the game comes out not 3 weeks laters.
° Fix the ps3 browser and make a partnership with google or mozilla to the next gen console. ° More PSN games to the vita and ports of great titles like journey flower nba jam castle crasher magic orbz pacman closure tetris modern combat ect ect.
° Enable to send pictures from the vita to the ps3.
° Buy Quantic Dream and ThatGameCompany.

° Please ps fans needs Kevin Butler again in the next E3 also Guerrilla Games with the new ip and the vita version of killzone , Naughty Dog with Last of Us, Santa Monica Studio with the secret project,Respawn Entretaiment, The last Guardian
° Sony needs to show Bioshock, Assassins Creeds and Call of Duty for vita.
°Sony needs more game for the PS Vita like Monster Hunter, Resident Evil, Phantasy Star, Battlefield, God of War, Infamous, NBA 2K and a Rpg like skyrim
° Drop Price of PS3 and Ps Vita
° A MMO for the ps vita.
° The next console needs a universal party system for all the games.
° Buy at least 2 studio for eclusive development of psn games.
° New PSN Interface for the next console.
° A lot of features for the PSN like Steam.
° Digital Games not at the same price of the disc games.
° Take ideas for the new console onlive services from steam and make a subscription payment program like xbox live but no to expensive.

I haven’t had any issues with my Headset since the update, and honestly just thought it was one guy that happened to drop his on the day of the 4.10 update and decided to blame Sony for them not working; But I guess there was actually something wrong for some people! It’s good to see that Sony does pay attention, Now I guess I’m going to have to start copying and pasting complaints about the extremely limited use of Remote Play to get some feedback on that?
I hope it doesn’t come to that!

Does there happen to be a place int the blog to ask these type of questions. I’ve seen the many posts on unrelated articles about the headsets but I really do not feel like doing that with my questions about
Vita. Here are a few if anyone is reading that could shed some light.

1. when will we get the 100% PSP game library on the Vita as promised since we in NA will not be getting the UMD transfer option

2. PSone classics on Vita what is the progress on that.

3.Will the PS3 be able to recognize the Vita online or game library in trophy list in the future or is the PS3 simply not capable.

I don’t know if anyone else has noticed but it’s also the Sony Playstation Bluetooth earpieces that have this effect as well. As an audio tech, it’s really annoying to hear myself unless I’m trying to get in tune or equalize.

I have a question and a problem, I own the headset and I love it, the problem, I have moved and lost the usb dongle. For the life of me I do not know why you guys at Sony do not sell replacements. Now I have a $100 show piece that I cannot use, please help!!!

Do what you gotta so people will stop whining please!! Remember people, he said nothing about removing the ability to hear yourself altogether. That would be stupid, who the heck would want the experience of being hearing impaired(not being able to hear yourself talk) while gaming? It’s uncomfortable and mine sounds great the way it is!! Oh well, nothings gonna change for a while, this IS sony afterall. Have fun waiting for that update.

I sincerely hope they only “fix” whatever the extra white noise issue is in some games, if it is indeed actual white noise and not this feature. I finally used my headphones for online play w/ voice chat for the first time since this firmware update, and I noticed immediately that I could hear my own voice, rather than hearing myself muffled through the noise cancellation. As soon as I heard it, I knew what it was and why people who weren’t accustomed to it would complain, but I loved it. It’s like a singer on-stage having a “monitor” so they can hear themselves apart from the rest of the band. It just made perfect sense that they would add this feature. Now, if it was implemented badly for certain games, I can understand wanting those fixed. But on the whole, I would be very sad if this wonderful added feature was removed entirely. As at least one other person said (I didn’t read all the posts), can you just add an option in the PS3 sound settings to disable the feature, so those of us who appreciate it can continue using it? Thanks!

How about being able to use multiple wireless headsets on the same PS3 unit? My girlfriend and I have neighbors with hypersensitive hearing, and it would be great if both of us could use headsets simultaneously to game and/or watch late into the night.

awesome to know! now 2 questions 1. When will the PS3 update to see who is online on the VITA? 2. When will the ps3 update to see the VITA trophies or at least see the trophies on your card? (because i already see the number going up but the trophies are nowhere to be found on the ps3.

Don’t remove “sidetone” completely. Make it optional, and when sidetone is enabled, make it disable automatically while the mic is muted. There is no purpose in having sidetone when the mic is muted.

Make the mic sensitivity in the settings adjustable instead of being locked at 3. Also, make sure the sidetone audio feedback is identical to the audio that others are hearing from the player.

For example, person “A” is using the PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset to chat in a game. There’s a lot of background sounds being picked up from the mic and other people in the game are hearing it. Since person “A” has sidetone enabled, all the audio, that others are hearing, is also being played to person A’s own headphones. Because of this, person A doesn’t need to be told that annoying background noise is being heard (because he already hears it in his own headphones). He can just go to the audio settings menu and turn down the sensitivity.

Please allow audio multi-output with this headset. This is useful if someone wants audio played through the headphones AND the tv/sound system simultaneously. Some people would also use it for recording audio while playing for commented game videos.

Sony NEEDS to add a toggle menu for turning on and off this ‘sidetone’ feature. Not everyone wants to hear an echo of themself whenever they talk!! So long as I know the microphone is turned on and working I REALLY DO NOT want desire or need to hear myself speaking. It’s annoying and I suspect that anyone who ASKED for this feature is one of those idiots who are always saying “do you hear me, can everybody hear me, do you hear me….,” every time they log into a mutiplayer match.

Why would you even want this feature? Who looks at these big bulky things and is like “I can’t wait to buy these and put them on so I can hear myself talk and everything else in the room”? You guys are killing the whole purpose of these things…but to each his own….personally I like having mine on and full volume and not hear a thing but the game….

I AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED IN THIS HEADSET, I PURCHASED THESE THE WEEK THEY CAME OUT, LAST SEPTEMBER, AND MINE WONT CHARGE OR EVEN TURN ON. I TAKE EXTREMELY GOOD CARE OF MY EQUIPMENT. I CALLED SONY AND THEY WONT DO ANYTHING FOR ME WITHOUT THE RECEIPT, EVEN THOUGH ITS OBVIOUSLY BEEN LESS THAN A YEAR TO FALL UNDER THE WARRANTY!!!!

Any chance we can have the option to turn it off, I was perfectly happy with how it was working before the update. this “sidetone” as you call it is just annoying to me. The reason I play with headphones on is so I won’t hear the ambient noise around me so having the mic feed playback is a bit of a nonsense to me.

I love the headset, with 3 kids in the house, I can’t really play out loud with a surround sound so to me the headset is the way to go. I just found that some times, I get some cuts in the sounds for half a second, I got that during uncharted 3 and infamous 2 mostly. Overall this is a great product and I highly recommend it to anyone.

Please let me change the sensitivity of the mic in the “Audio Device Settings” for this Headset. It is always on “3”, and it is not very loud. I would love to have the option to change it to “5”, but everything is faded out except for 3…why is this? I love this headset, but most of the time people can’t hear me :(

Peaople who gave the idea to implement such an ‘feature’ shold have BAN on all video games for the last of their days. Person who really did this, and didnt make it an option (to turn off or on when needed) should be fired, and never work in video game industry.

SRSLY this should ever happend, and if you (SONY) are going to fix this, there are only two solutions. Turn it off, and delete this feature for ever, and we will forget.
OR make the possibility to turn it on or off completely.

Your arguments, for calling this update a ‘feature’ are completely insane, and i have impression, that you never played video games in headphones.

Thanks for the update! Any chance there is an adapter in the works that will allow this awesome wireless headset to be used with the Vita? The head phones are one of the best purchases I have made this year other than the Vita. I have a 4 yr old and these allow me to play all my games LOUD! I don’t miss anything now! Thank you!

I‘ve been holding out on buying these because of all the comments on how they were underperforming after the update. I agree with the rest of the people regarding the sidetone feature be added as something you can turn off from the XMB, just make sure you can do it without having to quit your game!

Thanks SONY, I need this done. I hear my voice in Uncharted 3, Mass Effect 3, AC:R. I don’t like it, and I thought my Headset was broken, I was sad because it was a Christmas Present. But now that I hear people complain, I feel that it’s good your working on an update. Thanks! :D

With the hiss/white noise eliminated and the sidetone feature still intact this headset will be almost perfect.

It would be nice to have a finer adjustment on mic volume on this headset or any other bluetooth headsets, sometimes 3 is not enough and 4 is too much. I find my friends with PS3 bluetooth headsets are a tad quiet. But at least they never distort. At least .5 of adjustment would help out some. I speak quieter because I play later at night and 3 on the 7.1 headset doesn’t even reach half volume. I’m not sure why they lock you in at 3?! 3 for daytime, 4 for nighttime guys! haha

Thanks SONY for acknowledging there is a problem and beginning to work on providing all of us with a solution. Now I don’t have to return them for a refund. haha

Wow, a feature change that was introduced? Was it a TOP SECRET FEATURE CHANGE? The 4.10 Firmware doesn’t mention this “change”. You also failed to let your customer service reps know about the change as they were absolutely no help with the issue. I was even put on hold by a rep while she contacted the tech. department. She returned with an apology stating that the team was aware of the “problem” and working to correct it ASAP.

It’s ok to admit you made a mistake. No one is perfect, but I certainly hope the next “change” you guys make is not a stealth suprise feature. Just let us know. It makes the difference between happy and unhappy customers.

Games that aren’t being played as multiplayer still use that feature (Mass Effect 3 SP) and it is horriable.

Games that it doesn’t turn on the mic, it just makes the headset muzzled and feedback like I can hear the disc spinning during the loading screens. Then while playing, the volume is horriable low, even with it turned all the way up. (Yakuza: Dead Souls)

It is not just the mic feature they added. It messes up SP games either with the mic on or off.

This sounds like a good feature as I don’t know what I am saying wearing it unless I talk loud. But why limit the feature to these headphones? I’ve been wanting my voice to come back out through the TV speakers as well.